Have you ever noticed that a number of newspapers and magazines have editorials or contributed articles where the author appears to be barely knowledgeable of the topic; and worse, is far behind the latest activity in the ethanol and cellulosic ethanol industry?

On the other hand, there are industry specific and feedstock-related on-line and print sources that post very current and relevant articles. You can tell that the authors have done their homework and are up-to-date on the latest activity and successes (failures too) seen every day in the ethanol, biodiesel, and renewable energy fields.

Keeping current isn't that difficult, simply using Google Search can pull in a wealth of current information. Hot topics like cellulosic ethanol are easily tracked daily and even hourly via simple search entries in Google, Yahoo, MSN and just about any search service that is available to us.

2008 looks to be a very active year for renewable energy, ethanol, cellulosic ethanol and alternative energy. And, with the presidential candidates jumping on the wagon, will see even more press in these areas. I hope the reports and article contributors do a better job in 2008 and report the facts - the current facts, rumors, opinions, and success as well as failure stories. While they are at it, keeping up with the latest in ethanol and cellulosic ethanol plant construction will be helpful, along with the latest on availability of E85 and blender pumps throughout the U.S. A number of plants have had their construction halted (or not started) due to the pricing issues of ethanol and the feedstock (i.e. corn, soybeans, etc.) and it will be helpful to have someone keeping us current on these projects.

Of course there are a number of excellent organizations that provide this type of information to the general public and to their members. Here's some of our favorite groups/resources:
 

National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition

(NEVC)

(E85 Refueling Location Search - USA)

 American Coalition for Ethanol
ACE

Colleges & Technical Institutes

(offering ethanol and/or renewable energy courses & certifications)

Ethanol Biorefinery Locations

Map (pdf) of U.S. Biorefinery Locations

Weekly USDA Ethanol Summary
(a new window will open to display this .pdf file; updated weekly)

 

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